BBC's 'environment analyst' accepted grants from East Anglia

The BBC's global warming expert, Roger Harrabin, accepted 15,000 pounds in grants from the East Anglia climate change research center and then failed to disclose that fact when reporting on the subject.The East Anglia research center was the focus of emails that made up the Climategate scandal.

Considering that warming proponents constantly accuse skeptics of being in the pocket of industry, it should be interesting to see what they have to say about this.

In none of Mr Harrabin's reports on the subject were the grants that he and his friend Dr Joe Smith had received from UEA ever mentioned. However, BBC insiders claim that the use to which the money was put - annual Real World seminars for top BBC executives on issues including climate change - had a significant impact on the Corporation's output.

'The seminars organised by Roger and his friend were part of a process which has effectively stifled all debate within the BBC about man-made global warming,' said one senior journalist. 'As far as the high-ups are concerned, the science is settled.'

Last night, Mr Harrabin insisted he does not derive any personal financial benefit from the grants and that far from making him more sympathetic to UEA, the sponsorship - of which the BBC had been aware - 'made me doubly determined to investigate Climategate. If I had been misled by UEA I wanted to be among the first to know'.

Mr. Harrabin is being facetious. Those seminars certainly didn't hurt his career any, which has a direct bearing on personal financial benefit accruing to him. And the fact that the BBC was aware of the arrangement is even more interesting. Evidently, ethics in journalism is not of much interest to the Beeb.

The BBC's global warming expert, Roger Harrabin, accepted 15,000 pounds in grants from the East Anglia climate change research center and then failed to disclose that fact when reporting on the subject.

The East Anglia research center was the focus of emails that made up the Climategate scandal.

Considering that warming proponents constantly accuse skeptics of being in the pocket of industry, it should be interesting to see what they have to say about this.

In none of Mr Harrabin's reports on the subject were the grants that he and his friend Dr Joe Smith had received from UEA ever mentioned. However, BBC insiders claim that the use to which the money was put - annual Real World seminars for top BBC executives on issues including climate change - had a significant impact on the Corporation's output.

'The seminars organised by Roger and his friend were part of a process which has effectively stifled all debate within the BBC about man-made global warming,' said one senior journalist. 'As far as the high-ups are concerned, the science is settled.'

Last night, Mr Harrabin insisted he does not derive any personal financial benefit from the grants and that far from making him more sympathetic to UEA, the sponsorship - of which the BBC had been aware - 'made me doubly determined to investigate Climategate. If I had been misled by UEA I wanted to be among the first to know'.

Mr. Harrabin is being facetious. Those seminars certainly didn't hurt his career any, which has a direct bearing on personal financial benefit accruing to him. And the fact that the BBC was aware of the arrangement is even more interesting. Evidently, ethics in journalism is not of much interest to the Beeb.